CATALOGUE OF VERTEBRATES. 601 



SUB-ORDER GRALUE-PALUDICOUE. 

 Family RALLIDJE. 



Rails. 



RALLUS, L. 

 R. elegane, Aud. King Rail. Fresh-water Marsh Hen. 



Wings and tail short ; hind toe elevated ; front toes long ; 

 forehead feathered ; bill decurved, longer than head ; brownish 

 black above ; chestnut below and on wing coverts ; white bars 

 on flanks. Length, 18 inches; middle toe, 2J inches. Fre- 

 quents fresh-water marshes. 



"Arrives in May, and is abundant in meadows skirting our 

 rivers. They build a nest of grass, in the grass, raising but the 

 one brood. In July the young are strong upon the wing. They 

 are very swift of foot, and run long when pursued by dogs. 

 Have generally disappeared by October 1st." 



R. longirostris, var. crepitans, Gmel. [Mud Hen. See Fulica ameri- 

 cana.] Salt-water Marsh Hen. Clapper Eail. 



Above olive brown, variegated with ashy ; breast cinnamon 

 buff, ashy tinged ; flanks grayish brown, with white bars. 

 Length, 15 inches; tail, 2J inches; bill, 2J inches; female 

 smaller. 



" Very numerous on the marsh meadows of the sea-board, 

 where they arrive early in spring. They build in the long grass 

 of the islands studding the bays, and raise two broods usually. 

 Their eggs are an article of diet on the shore, being numerous 

 and easily gathered." 



R. virginianus, L. Virginia Rail. 



Above olive brown, striped with black ; wing coverts reddish ; 

 breast cinnamon ; flanks dusky, barred with white ; lower parts 

 mixed with black in immature specimens. Length, 10 inches; 

 tail, H inches; bill, 1| inches. Like R. elegans, but smaller. 



" Not an abundant species. Arrive in May, and nidificate as 

 in the case of R. elegans. In August and September they are 

 generally found in company with the ' sora ' on the river flats. 

 Occasionally every eighth or tenth bird will be this species, but 



